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GE, Microsoft reportedly discussed Dow Jones bid

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NEW YORK -- General Electric Co. and Microsoft Corp. discussed joining forces for a competing bid for Dow Jones & Co. in recent weeks, but the idea was abandoned, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

GE and Microsoft discussed matching News Corp.'s $60 per share offer for Dow Jones, according to the report in the Journal's online edition, which cited people briefed on the discussions.

GE would then have combined Dow Jones with its NBC Universal unit, in part to stave off competition from News Corp., which is planning a business television channel to rival GE's CNBC.

None of the companies mentioned in the report immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Dow Jones has been exploring alternatives to the News Corp. offer, but those efforts have yet to yield another serious bidder, the Journal said.